Today In 90s Philadelphia Sports Star News

Well, yeah, it wasn’t going to happen. We all knew it. Although he talked about returning to the Phillies if he couldn’t get a deal in Boston, Curt Schilling signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox for what will likely be his last pro season.

Obligatory reference to Schilling’s blog. Meh.

Meanwhile, ESPN reports Eric Lindros will announce his retirement Thursday in Toronto. Lindros had about 400 concussions in his career. While he hasn’t been in Philly since 2000 — not really too much later after Schilling left, too — he and Curt were both stars at the same time in Philadelphia. The 1990s Sixers didn’t have any stars ’til Iverson. The Eagles’ best player in the 90s was QB Eagles, from the video game Tecmo Super Bowl.

Post Game Analyst Doesn’t Want Phils To Sign Pitcher

Ever since the season ended and Phillies fans remembered the team didn’t have any pitchers this season, there’s been talk of Curt Schilling returning to Philadelphia. Schilling, as you may remember, pitched for the Phils in the 1993 World Series, then helped the 2001 Diamondbacks and the 2004 Red Sox win World Series titles.

But guess who doesn’t want him back? That’s right: 1993 Phillies teammate Mitch Williams. Yes, the pitcher who gave up a home run to Joe Carter to lose the World Series — now a post-game analyst, and quite a good one at that — says the Phils shouldn’t sign Schilling.

“Then you add in the fact that he is a bad guy in the clubhouse, and there is no reason to add him. The one thing they don’t want to mess with is the the atmosphere of the clubhouse, and that would definitely mess with it.”

If they don’t sign Schill, the Phillies will have to be stuck with The Clubhouse Atmosphere pitching, and he’s even worse than Adam Eaton.

Williams: Keep Schilling Away From the Phillies [Daily Examiner]

Curt Schilling Should Be On Mount Rushmore

Noted loudmouth and ex-Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling famously pitched Game 6 of the ALCS in 2004 with a hurt ankle, which also famously bled through his sock. The win helped the Red Sox rally from a 3-0 deficit to upset the Yankees and eventually won the World Series.

Last night, during a game, announcer Orioles announcer Gary Thorne made an interesting comment during the Baltimore-Boston contest: It was actually painted on! But of course! I’ve actually heard that rumor before, but it doesn’t make much sense; it’s not like his ankle wasn’t hurt, it’d be pretty silly to actually paint on fake blood just to make yourself look tougher.

The Red Sox denied it; the guy Thorne said told him about it says he doesn’t even know Thorne, etc. But the best comment comes from Terry Francona, the Phillies manager who successfully guided the team to a 65-97 record in 2000:

“What we’re going through today as a nation, you hate to use a word like heroic on the field, but what Schill did that night on the sports field was one of the most incredible feats I ever witnessed,” Francona said. “[Thorne's remarks] go so far past disappointing. Disrespectful to Schill, to his vocation. I’m stunned.

“I am just floored. Schill takes his share of shots, and this one is so far below the belt that I’m embarrassed and I wish somebody would have had the good conscience to ask me. I saw the leg. If that had been painted, I wouldn’t have had my knuckles so white, and having so much anxiety.”

“I don’t want to say Schilling’s a hero, but, man, he makes the people on Flight 93 look like pussies.”

Schilling’s sock called into question [Boston Globe]

Curt Schilling To Annoy Us In Whole New Outlet?

Used to be, avoiding being annoyed by Curt Schilling was pretty easy. All you had to do was not watch post-game Red Sox interviews and don’t play the PC game Everquest. But, no, Schilling wasn’t content with that. No, he has to go and try to make sure that every American is annoyed by him no matter how much they try to avoid him.

Now there’s a possibility of Curt Schilling running for John Kerry’s Senate seat. A group of Massachusetts residents are starting a drive to draft Schilling to run in the 2008 election, in the hopes of finding out just who the American people are annoyed by more. (It should be pretty close. Remember, Curt Schilling is “a horse’s ass the other four days” but John Kerry did lose to President Bush — President Bush! — in an election.)

Anyway, let’s hope this election does take place. It might open up a black hold of annoyance over all of New England, saving us from having to hear about Schilling, Kerry and the New England Patriots ever again.

Editor’s Note: Apparently, Curt Schilling saying he might vote for Barack Obama is “patronizing,” according to Will Bunch. Curt Schilling doesn’t care about black people!

UPDATED: The Next Kerry Swift Boater…Curt Schilling? [Attytood]

Blogicized: Kill Curt Schilling For Charity

• Not content to simply opine on every subject in the real world, ex-Phils and current Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is now moving to the virtual world. The makers of the video game Everquest have created a Schilling character which probably weighs about 400 pounds and whose best move is talking to the media. Still, it’s hard to say this is a bad thing, since (1) Each time he’s defeated in one weekend, $5 goes to ALS and (2) you get a chance to finally shut up Curt Schilling. [The 700 Level]

• Go for the recap of last night’s casino forum. Stay for the photo of DN scribe Sandra Shea and Mayor Street. [dragonballyee]

• Judges want their addresses and such out of the public record, citing safety concerns. I want a sandwich, citing hunger concerns. [Daily Rant]

Irony alert: Curt Schilling

Today, ESPN.com columnist Bill “Sports Guy” Simmons interviews noted fat pitcher Curt Schilling via e-mail. It’s basically a huge blowjob from Sports Guy, but, whatever, that’s his schtick with the Red Sox and people like him.

Anyway, about midway through the piece, the ex-Phillie wrote something to Simmons that caught my eye (emphasis mine):

The thing that I find funny is that some of the better writers suck at their jobs from my standpoint: Shaughnessy and [Bill] Conlin are two that come to mind…. Bill Conlin had (not sure if he still does) a Hall of Fame vote the year Nolan Ryan was up. Bill wrote a column the day after the voting on why he DIDN’T vote for Nolan Ryan on the first ballot. At best, it was repulsive. Bill used his Hall of Fame vote to promote his agenda, which was that if Don Sutton didn’t get voted in first ballot, then Nolan Ryan didn’t deserve to get voted in, either. As if the HOF ballots were his personal right to make statements. So he took 26 years of Nolan’s career and used his vote to make a statement about his opinions on Don Sutton. Sad, really. But in a nutshell, that’s Bill Conlin now anyway — bitter and sad. [Editor's note: Conlin did explain in print why he did not vote for Ryan, but he did not mention Don Sutton.]

Conlin will have his revenge, though. One day, Curt Schilling will be fatter than Bill ever was.

Disclaimer: Not that I’m even defending Conlin here, but I must confess: On live TV in 2003, Bill Conlin did ask me if I invented the “SoBig” virus. I’m not kidding.

Curious Guy: Curt Schilling [ESPN.com Page 2]